Google to offer beta of Chinese business search site

Chinese Web surfers will now be able to search for businesses in their local area, thanks to a new service from Google. The service, currently in beta, offers similar features to Google Local, which had its US launch last year. Businesses in over 170 Chinese cities will be included.

However, another service in China, called Baidu.com, already offers such facilities. Baidu holds the largest market share in three of China's major cities, those being Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Google will have a big fight on its hands if it wants to beat Baidu.com, given its large popularity. Recently, Baidu.comovertook Google in major Chinese cities, and has boosted its market share in these three cities by at least 10 pct in the past six months.